view, partially in section, of a portion of the the rollers in bearings between the rails .of the carrier.

UNITED STATES A ENT OFFICE.

RUFUS P. MATHEWS AND CHARLES H. LISTER, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA,

ASSIGNORS TO MATHEWS GRAVlTY CARRIER COMPANY, OF ST. PAUL,

MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION or MINNESOTA.

GRAVITY-CARRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Jan. 22,1907.

Application filed May 12, 1905 Serial NoJZSOJOZ. v

To all whom it may concern: p l Be it known that we, RUFUS P. MATHEWS and CHARLES H. LISTER, of St. Paul, Ramsey new and useful Improvements in Gravity Carriers, of which t e follow ng is aspccifi- Our invention relates to carriers for transporting merchandise by gravity; and the object of our invention is to provide a carrier, designed particularly for transporting lumher, but capable of being adapted with slight modifications to handle brick "and other arti-' cles.

A further object is to provide a carrier whcreon the boards or other articles will travel for along distance and pass around curves of diiierent degree without danger of any attention whatever on the part of the arge end of t e carrier. I A further object is to provide .a gravitycarrier composed of sections which can be easily moved and are strong and durable and rovided with antifriction-rollcrs that turn eely when engaged by. the article passing,

The invention conslsts' generally in pr0- viding a carrier having side rails and an mtermediate or middle rail between them and,

having their inner ends higher than their outer ends and obliquely arranged with re spect to the supporting-rails Further, the invention consists in various constructions and combinations, all-as hereout in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a plan view of a portion ofa lumber-carrier embodying our invention. Fig". 2 is a transverse sectional. view showing the position assume. by a board' on the rolls. Fig. 3 is a plan carrier, illustrating the manner of supporting Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a portion of one of the sections, showing the position of the antifriction-rollers therein and L ball-bearings and hold the ioller against,.lon'- large to prevent frictionalcontactjof the core the couplings uniting the abutting ends of the sections.

v In the drawings, 2 represents the side rails of a curved section of the carrier, and 3 a middle rail between them and slightly below the level of the side rails, as indicated in Fig. 2. The side rails are preferably composed-of two bars bolted or otherwise secured together to stiffen the carrier and lessen its tendency to warp. Rods 4. are provided at intervals, passing through the side and nziddle rails and binding them securely together. The antifriction-rollers which we prefer to provide in connection with this carrier are made, preferably, of comparatively thin tubing 5, having, prefcrably,a wooden core 6, the ends of which are flush with the ends of the I tubing and have recesses 7 and a central hole 8 to receive a shaft 9. Casings 10, inclosing ball-bearings 1 1, fit snugly within the recesses 7. The ends of the shaft 9 are threaded and extend through. the side and middle rails and are provided with nuts 12 and with adjust able cones '13, that are turned up against the gitudinal movement on the shafts-hut per-' nutit to revolve freely ,thereo'n-,-thc hole through the wooden core bein sufhciently with the shaft. The inner end of. the shaft is raised slightly above the level of t he out or end as shown in Fig. 2, so that the surf ace of the roller is inclined downwardly from its inner toward its outer end, and the said shaft and s roller are set in the rails obliquely with respect to the plane thereof, as indicated in Fig. '3, and the lumber placed on these rollers Wlll move toward the center of the carrier.

in actual practice the rollers are set at the proper angle with respect to the plane of the rails to insure the travel of the mechanism over the roller without running off. This angle we have exaggerated in the drawings for the purpose of more clearly illustrating this feature of the invention. The pitch or inclination of the roller from the center toward the sides of the carrier maybe varied to obtain-the'best results. We have found that lumber placed on a carrier of this kind 'will travel a long" distance and pass curves of various lengths and degrees without any els over them, and if it passes the center a -'dise, it is only necessary to set the rollers ends and causing the 'ing side and middle rails and antihtiction idle with the side and middle rails, oi antil'rictiondanger of passing oti the carrier and with only sullicient' drop in the carrier from its receiving to its discharge end to keep the lumher in motion, When a board or other piece of lumber is placed on the rollers on one side oi" the center Of.il1( carrier it will work toward the inner ends of the rolls as it travsullicient distance to contact with the rolls on the other side it will tilt suiiiciently to ass out of contact with the first-named rol ers, owing to the pitch or inclination of the carrier on each side of the center. It will thus be immaterial on which side of the carrierthe lumber is placed. It Will always work toward the center from either side.

The sections of the carrier are joined together at their abutting ends by a coupling device 14, similar to the one shown and described in our pending a )plication for Letters Patent 01' the United States, Serial No. 237,416, tiled December It), 1904. We have shown the rollers of this carrier alternately arranged on each side of the middle raii at a suitable distance for transporting boards or other pieces of lumber. To adapt the devicev for transporting brick or articles ol" merchannearer together, the pitch from their inner toward their outer ends and the angle of their shafts with respect to the rails being substantially the sameas described.

\Ve donot in this application wish to coniine ourselves to any particular construction of the rollers, as various ways may be de vised for manufacturing them, the essentiali'catures of the invention being the manner o'l mounting the rollers obliquely wit h respect to the rails oi the carrier and having their inner ends a little higher than their outer lumber or other articles to work to the center of the carrier in moving from one end to the other.

0 claim as our invention-- 1. A gravity niercluuulise carrier comprisrollers journaled therein, the journals of the inner ends of said rollers being on a dill'erent level than journals ol' their outer ends substantially as described.

.2. in a gravity-carrier, the combination. with the rails, of antil'riction-rollers of substantially the same diameter at, each end journalcd at the sides ol the carrier and near the middle thereof, the inner ends of said rollers being'ahove the level of their outer ends.

2%; ln :1 gravity-carrier, the combination,

rollers jourmiled in said rails, the journals of l the inner ends of said roilers being higher than the journals of their outer entls,i'or the purpose speciiied/ j 4. In a gravity-carrier, l

the combination.

with the side and middle rails, of antifrictionrollers onrnaled 1n said rails alternately upon each side oiisaid middle rail, the inner ends 1 of said rollers being journaled in the rear slightly of their outer ends, for the purpose specified.

5. In a gravity-carrier, the combination,

with the side and middle rails, of antifriction idle rollers journaled in said-rails, the inner ends of said rollers being in the rear slightly of their outer ends, substantially as described.

6. A gravity-carrier composed of portable separable sections, each section having side and middle rails, antifric-tion-rollers journaled in said rails upon each side of the middle line of the carrier, the inner ends of said rollers being on a higher level than their.

outer ends and the bearings of said rollers being set at an angle or obliquely with re-' spect to the plane of said rails whereby the articles passing over said rollers-will 'work toward the'eemer of the carrier,'substan-- tiall as described.

7. 111 a graviiy-earrier, a series of antifriction-rollers journaled in each side of the car; rier and near the middle thereof, the inner ends oi said rollers being in the rear slightly of their outer ends and on adillerent plane.

8. in a gravity-carrier. antifriction idle rollers provided on each side of the middle line ol tlie carrier and having theirinner ends journaled nearsaid middle line and their outer ends journaled in the sides of the carrier. and the inner ends ol said rollers being in the rear slightly of their outer ends whereb merchandise moving over said rollers will work toward the center of the carrier, substantiallyas described.

S). In a gravity-carrier. idle-rollers provided on each side ol' the middle line of the carrier and having theirinner ends journaled near said middle line and their outer ends journaled in the sides of the carrier. said rollers being 'ol' substantially the same diameter at each end and their inner ends being on a dill'erent level thantheir outer ends, substantially as described,

it). in a gravity-carrier. idle rollers arranged on each side of the. middle line of the carrier and having their inner ends journaled near said-middle line and their outer ends journaled in the sides of the carrier, said rollers being of substantially the same diameter at each end and theirinner ends being on a higher level than their outer ends, substantially as described.

ll. In a' gravity-carrier. idle rollers provided on each side of the middle line ol' the carrier and having their inner ends journaled near said middle line and their outer ends journaled in the sides or the carrier, the rollers on one side ol' said middle line alternat iug in position with those 'on.the other side and the inner ends of suid rollers being in the rear seems I slightly, of their outer ends, whereby articles E carrier and heviugtheir outer ends journeled movin thereover will work toward the cen let the sides of the eerriei, said rollers being of 15 ter of the Carrier; I e substantially the same diameter at each end 12. In a gravity-earlier, idle rollers proand their inner ends being on a higher level vided on each side of the middle line of the than their outer ends. carrier and having their outer ends journeled In Witness whereof We have hereunto set at (tlhe slides of the eelrlrier, the; iliuisr exflclls1 of 1 our hands this 8th elitists-y, 1905. sai ro ersbein int ereer'sigityo t eir 1 outer ends when? by articles moving over said. rollers will work toward the center of the oer" f ner.

18. In a grevitymarrier; idle rollers errsnged on eeeh side of the middle line of the Nita lessee: